The monkey woman and me.

Never underestimate women of a certain age who have their priorities etched in stone. I’ll know better next time. I found myself with a client I thought I understood. Someone fun and free-spirited like my mother. In fact, she was referred by my mother, who met her at a yoga class on her last visit to Calistoga Ranch. My new client headed a chapter of an organization she said was much like the Red Hat Society. You’ve seen that group – red hats, purple and red clothing and accessories, a visual proclamation that they would not go quietly into old age nursing their regrets. Instead, they are about celebrating (or distracting themselves from) the ravages of time with book discussions, historical tours and many, many gin and tonics over brunch. My client’s organization was a less visible version of this group with pretty much the same reason for being. They wear something red, but not fire engine red, and no purple is paired with it. They fancy themselves closer to Indiana Jones than Patti La Belle, favoring the kind of the upscale safari look – silk blend olive drab cargo pants and fishing vests that Banana Republic used to be about in the “80’s. (Also when Abercrombie and Fitch was where golfers shopped!) She said they do more than celebrate themselves and are currently sponsoring an endangered frog in Madagascar. Got to like that!

The group wanted jackets and loved almost everything about the Red House Pima Interlock Jacket (RH08). Especially that it was lightweight, very soft and featured slimming princess lines. And Ruby was just the right, subtle shade of red for them. My client asked for no embroidered crest or logo. Instead, she had commissioned her own zipper pulls, that she presented to me – little silver monkeys, which she said suggested both whimsy and unpredictability. I told her we could replace our embossed leather zipper pulls with them, no problem. (Red House’s first improvisation involving monkeys!) Squinting very closely at the monkey face I saw a look of utter seriousness; I should have taken that to heart.

What the ladies did not like about the Pima Jacket was that it had full-length sleeves. It needed to have bracelet length sleeves to afford a few inches of forearm freedom, as they were always on the go. Besides, they wear watches and compasses and like to show off bracelets they purchase at craft fairs and souks around the world. (Really, they go to souks?!) Well, the whole purpose of a jacket, it seems to me, and which I mentioned, is to cover up for the purposes of warmth or modesty. She would not budge. I suggested they roll up the sleeves, á la Rosie The Riveter. She didn’t like the analogy, and mentioned that she was still in grammar school during Rosie’s WWII welding reign. (Oops!) We had reached an impasse and it took me slightly longer than it should have to say, “We can make those shorter sleeves a reality for you.” I was protectively clinging to the idea of Red House designs as my babies, and the client was right to ask for what she needed. And you know what? I liked the abbreviated look. Who knows - Red House may consider a line of bracelet length jackets, shirts and sweaters.

Get this, a couple weeks later I got a postcard… from Madagascar! My client and several from their group went to see how their frog was faring! In an effort to ensure I will be that adventurous in my 70’s, I tried on my own Red House pima jacket in Ruby with a purple T-shirt underneath, but nah, the look was not for me. I don’t do monkeys either.